Sheet material adapted for saturation for roofing purposes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. v

ALBERT L. CLAPP, OF MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FLINTKOTE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SHEET MATERIAL ADAPTED FOR SATURATION FOR ROOFING IPURIPOSES.

No Drawing. a

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. 'CLAPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marblehead, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Sheet Material Adapted for Saturation for Roofing Purposes, of which the following is a speclfication.

This invention has for its object to provide a fabric which may be employed as a foundation for roofing felt, roofing paper or the like, in which the foundation must be of such character as to enable it expeditiously and easily to be saturated with asphaltic, pitchy or like compositions of a relatively thick consistency even when molten. Heretofore it has been customary for this purpose to employ felt made only either of wool, mixed rags, or shopperies, feltines, or tailors mush, or like waste material. It has been practically impossible to use for this purpose alone or in admixture with the rag stock, where the waste paper predominates waste paper stock such as mixed papers, newspapers and the like,'because of the fact that, when such paper stock after being beaten to a pulp is formed in sheets of the proper thickness for use as prepared roofing, the sheets are of such density and hardness that it is impossible to saturate them easily or expeditiously. In my opinion, this is due to the'fact that the fibers are short and lie so closely together as to leave no interstices between them. I have found, however, that such Waste material, either alone of mixed with rag waste fibers, may be employed for the manufacture of foundations for roofing or other like purposes, to be saturated with asphaltic or pitchlike material or compound by incorporating therein a certain quality of material which will tend to separate the fibers and make the sheet soft, absorbent and porous.

It is quite evident that a number of materials can be used'for this purpose, but I.-

prefer to employ inexpensive waste material where the same is obtainable, such for instance as tan bark waste, wood flour, the

lime sludge from glue works, finely divided leather dust or scrap, and the like. These waste materials are preferably incorporated in the mass during the process of beating the waste paper. or example, in tl'lG lDfitIl- 5a ufacture of prepared roofing foundation, in

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec 21 192() Application filed February 25, 1916. Serial No. 80,398. i

thoroughly beaten in the beater together with the admixture of water until they form a pulpy mass, which, though a mixture, is more or less homogeneous, and is then fed to acylinder or Fourdrinier machine for forming it into a web or sheet, after which the sheet is dried by any usual drier. For thepurpose of increasing the strength of the resultant sheet, I may add to the stock in the beater a small quantity of waste rope or waste jute fibers.

As a result of the process which I have herein described, the fibers of the sheets are separated and caused to assume more or less of a curly nature because of the pres-' ence ofthe added waste "material between them, thereby forming countless minute interstices in the fabric into which the saturating material may penetrate.

. I have discovered that, in materials which are saturated with asphaltic or pitchy compound, it is not so much necessary for the fibers themselves to become saturated, as it is that the sheet should have numerous interstices between the fibers which maybe filled or saturated with the compound quite irrespective of whether the compound is absorbed by the fibers per se. A sheet, such as herein described, when saturated with a compound of soft asphalt, wax tailings, rosin, and harder asphalt, or any saturating compound, has the necessary tensile strength, andafter being coated with pitch or asphalt, maybe used as aprepared roofm I do not wish to be confined or limited to the use of the specific waste materials which Q I m et said invention and described a way of maka bulky filling" material the partieies of ing and using the same, although without Which lntervene between the fibers to form 10 attempting to set forth all of the forms in interstices, said sheet having the pores and .Which it may be made or all ofthe modes interstices filled with a waterproofing comof its use, what I claim is: pound.

The herein described roofing material, In testimony whereof I have afiixed my consisting of a sheet comprising a mixture signature. I

of rag fiber, disintegrated leather fiber, and L. 'CLAPP. 

